Charter Plan Change Sparks Tension

Tuesday

Mar 27, 2012 at 10:29 PM

The Harrison arts school and Lakeland High School are in a complicated, controversial charter debate that has the schools in a tug-of-war for control. Polk County School Board members must decide whether Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts should remain a part of Lakeland High or become an independent school.

BY MERISSA GREENTHE LEDGER

BARTOW | The Harrison arts school and Lakeland High School are in a complicated, controversial charter debate that has the schools in a tug-of-war for control.

Polk County School Board members must decide whether Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts should remain a part of Lakeland High or become an independent school.

Emotions are running high at both schools as parents and administrators work to become charter schools.

A special meeting was held Tuesday to discuss what the School District can do to prevent public schools from considering charter status as an option.

Instead, board members were blind-sided by a letter from Harrison parents that announced their intention to become a start-up charter rather than a previously announced conversion charter.

Lakeland High parents have said they plan to apply to become a conversion charter.

Conversion charter schools are existing public schools operated that become governed by their own boards rather than the School Board. Start-up charters traditionally have been new schools with no previous history and have never been housed in existing schools.

Carolyn Bridges, senior director of magnet, choice and charter schools, showed the board a comparison of what traditional public schools can or can't do as opposed to charter schools. She also outlined scenarios of what could happen during both schools' application processes to become charters.

For instance, if LHS applies to be a conversion charter school without including Harrison, LHS would be considered an applicant applying for school-within-a-school status.

On the other hand, if Lakeland's proposal includes Harrison, a majority vote from Harrison staff and parents is not required for the change. That is because the two schools would be recognized as only one school by the state, so the majority of all votes would be what counted.

Lakeland High's charter organizers previously announced they are including Harrison in the plan.

They have created a special website to chronicle their charter process and plan a community meeting April 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Should Lakeland's application change how Harrison currently operates, the board would have grounds for ­denying the application, Bridges said.

Superintendent of Schools Sherrie Nickell said she has talked with Harrison officials and said what they want more than becoming a charter is the additional teachers needed to have an academic program. That way, the school would be recognized by the state as separate from LHS.

If that were to happen, Nickell said, Harrison officials would not pursue becoming a charter.

Nickell said there has been conflict between the schools since they began the process to become charter schools.

"I believe we have an incredible program (Harrison) on that campus," she said. "If the entities can work together, the opportunities are unsurpassed."

Nickell said she has directed both principals into mediation to find common ground. She also said she doesn't think the charter status that both campuses are seeking is the only option to resolve their differences.

Bridges reviewed the state's retaliation law, which warns school districts about taking action against district employees who pursue charter status.

When the relationship between LHS Principal Tracy Collins and Harrison's Craig Collins fell apart years ago, they were told by district administrators how they must work together, said School Board member Frank O'Reilly. They were told again last year when Harrison parents began talking about working to become independent.

O'Reilly said that giving Harrison the 15 teaching units it requested "is ridiculous," and the tensions between the two campuses have gotten to this point because of a lack of leadership from the district.

O'Reilly said it is time for Nickell and David Lewis, associate superintendent of learning, to step up and show their authority.

"Who's the boss and who is the employee?" O'Reilly said about Craig Collins. "Until you face the reality you have a little man with a big ego, we are not going to solve this problem."

After the meeting, O'Reilly said he realized that Lewis, who has had several meetings with the two principals, has worked hard to resolve the issues, and now it is up to Nickell to take control of the situation.

While School Board member Debra Wright said she agreed with some of O'Reilly's points, she scoffed at his name-calling and singling out Collins. Board members shouldn't be making derogatory comments about size and gender, she said.

"We all need to make sure we are ethical and professional," Wright said.

Craig Collins, who watched the special meeting by webcast, told The Ledger he was stunned by O'Reilly's comments.

"I must admit to you that I am stunned by his lack of professionalism in using a public forum to make personal attacks," he said.

"This will perhaps lend credence to previous concerns I have shared regarding his relentless verbal assaults that border on harassment. My vision has been, and continues to be, to help Harrison provide the best instruction possible in both the general academia and the arts."

Other School Board members also offered opinions on the situation.

Lori Cunningham said the problem at both schools is leadership. She said Harrison is one of the county's crown jewels, and she would like to see it become a standalone school.

"I'm not here politically to take sides," she said. "We need to look at what's best for our students.''

Hazel Sellers said the relationship between Harrison and Lakeland should work like Bartow High School, Bartow IB and Summerlin Academy. All three are on the same campus and administrators work together.

Dick Mullenax said he saw the rift deepening between Tracy Collins and Craig Collins, who are not related, since last April. Before the issue became "an avalanche," district officials could have done something, and they wouldn't be worrying about the state's retaliation law.

"I said fire them both for insubordination," Mullenax said.

Kay Fields said everyone is frustrated because the issue has been "such a mess." She has received emails from people in the community who lookfor the board to show leadership.

"It is time for the board to take a stand," Fields said.

[ Merissa Green can be reached at 863-802-7547 or merissa.green@theledger.com. ]